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Wednesday Dog Mt hike
Nov. 15th, 2023 09:58 pmThe most beautiful day.
Feels like a good reset, after a painful weekend.
Tyler opted to climb Dog with me, today.
He was tolerant and gentle when I was ready much later than I anticipated and he had to wait for me. (I consistently fail to estimate how much time it will take me to get ready for hikes, even the easy, familiar ones.)
How has his mood been so stable lately? Whatever he's doing, I hope it continues.
Misty gloomy departure. Stopped at See See's for coffee. Gave him a sip of my almond milk latte after buying him his americano. "MMMMOMG I should ahve gotten that!" he exclaimed. I know, I know. It's the most heavenly thing ever.
I chatted his ear off on the drive. Easy, uneventful trip to the trailhead. Me chattering away. He interjected here and there and answered my questions amiably. Was really nice.
"There might not be much up there..." he mused on the way, referencing mushrooms. But I know this trail better than any other. I knew what it had in store for us.
We could not take two steps without seeing a new mushroom. They carpeted the entire area. It was spectacular. And so fun.
Took us 2.5hrs to reach the summit (usually takes me less than 1.5), because we were stopping and enjoying our finds so often.
He found my favorite mushroom for me, clitocybe adora, which I first found on Dog about four years ago but haven't seen the last couple of years. I am so grateful. Once he spotted them, I found many, many more.
My favorite thing to eat is still Sparassis Crispa aka cauliflower mushroom, but C. adora are still my favorite to find. They smell of sweet anise, almost like candy, and they are a soft pale blue/grey color that glows in the forest in a magical way.
We didn't find any sparassis, but I found a shrimp russula that I might try to cook, and Tyler grabbed me a couple more Zeller's boletes, which I had in my eggs earlier this week thanks to his donation of this mushroom last week (along with the king boletes).
Lots of other cute mushrooms too, many I knew (cat's tongue, the common white and red russulas, lots of mycena and some other inocybes, suillis, corinaria, and a couple fun finds like birds nest and some of those curly things I forget what they're called, and many I didn't know at all, like an amethyst something or other that glowed a purplish color and some toxic things including some death angels (meep!).
We also both were charmed by the lichen and collected a few handfuls of the prettiest clumps - there was something extra special about the way they were glowing in the gloomy foggy air.
It misted on us a bit and then genuinely rained, I got a bit pelted during the windy alpinesque last half mile to the summit, but it was perfectly tolerable and there is something peaceful and beautiful about hiking inside a cloud, even if it is a slightly stormy - it was relatively mild, the gorge can get quite rough sometimes and this was a gentle raincloud. Zero view but I still loved it. In fact it was so foggy that it was a bit creepy in places, because the drop off vanished and looked like one could just fall into nothingness forever, if a wrong step were taken.
...
( tangent about perimenopause symptoms and end of life thoughts )
Tyler made it to the summit of Dog a few minutes after I did. We shared some snacks and I forced him to take a couple selfies with me, "pix or it didn't happen." A pleasant walk down and drive home together, cozy and content and sharing pumpkin pie and spiced kombucha.
I found more c. odora on the way down, so happy.
When we got home, I gave Tyler more pie and some steak and warm cacao brew and he played piano for me for about an hour. I stretched out on the couch and messaged back and forth with Finley and Timo and got comfy on my Halloween pillows and was so blissed out and content from the warm cozy feeling of my couch and my apartment and Tyler's piano playing (Josh has an electronic upright that's pretty high quality and sounds pretty nice) that I softly, quietly, privately wept. I grew up with piano, my mom played and taught piano when I was growing up, and there is an ease to Tyler's playing that reminds me of the comfort of home and childhood so much. His adept comfort with that instrument is exquisite and the beauty of the way he plays makes my heart soar.
I wish I could have learned to play like that. Or at all. Mom and I fought too much for me to be able to learn from her. And she couldn't afford to pay for lessons on top of the already-too-expensive ice skating lessons.
Grateful for the skating, of course, of course.
Maybe I can still learn, one day. I used to play a couple of Christmas songs this time of year, Away in a Manger and Skater's Waltz (not the whole thing) were my favorites, I had a handful and always wanted to learn the Peanuts one. Which Josh can play now. Josh has gotten so good over the last six or so years, but because he plays jazz instead of classical, it doesn't give me the warm fuzzies the way Tyler's playing does - Tyler has classical training and my ears can tell the difference immediately.
I think I am a little dehydrated. Will try to post some photos, drink some electrolyte water, and get ready for bed. Work tomorrow but I'm done at three, thankfully. This month is going to be rough so I gave myself some sorter days here and there, and I'm grateful.
Oops I was supposed to open more appts today - that will have to happen in the morning, which is fine. I don't really have any dates to open for folks right now anyway, everything is pretty much booked already.
Feels like a good reset, after a painful weekend.
Tyler opted to climb Dog with me, today.
He was tolerant and gentle when I was ready much later than I anticipated and he had to wait for me. (I consistently fail to estimate how much time it will take me to get ready for hikes, even the easy, familiar ones.)
How has his mood been so stable lately? Whatever he's doing, I hope it continues.
Misty gloomy departure. Stopped at See See's for coffee. Gave him a sip of my almond milk latte after buying him his americano. "MMMMOMG I should ahve gotten that!" he exclaimed. I know, I know. It's the most heavenly thing ever.
I chatted his ear off on the drive. Easy, uneventful trip to the trailhead. Me chattering away. He interjected here and there and answered my questions amiably. Was really nice.
"There might not be much up there..." he mused on the way, referencing mushrooms. But I know this trail better than any other. I knew what it had in store for us.
We could not take two steps without seeing a new mushroom. They carpeted the entire area. It was spectacular. And so fun.
Took us 2.5hrs to reach the summit (usually takes me less than 1.5), because we were stopping and enjoying our finds so often.
He found my favorite mushroom for me, clitocybe adora, which I first found on Dog about four years ago but haven't seen the last couple of years. I am so grateful. Once he spotted them, I found many, many more.
My favorite thing to eat is still Sparassis Crispa aka cauliflower mushroom, but C. adora are still my favorite to find. They smell of sweet anise, almost like candy, and they are a soft pale blue/grey color that glows in the forest in a magical way.
We didn't find any sparassis, but I found a shrimp russula that I might try to cook, and Tyler grabbed me a couple more Zeller's boletes, which I had in my eggs earlier this week thanks to his donation of this mushroom last week (along with the king boletes).
Lots of other cute mushrooms too, many I knew (cat's tongue, the common white and red russulas, lots of mycena and some other inocybes, suillis, corinaria, and a couple fun finds like birds nest and some of those curly things I forget what they're called, and many I didn't know at all, like an amethyst something or other that glowed a purplish color and some toxic things including some death angels (meep!).
We also both were charmed by the lichen and collected a few handfuls of the prettiest clumps - there was something extra special about the way they were glowing in the gloomy foggy air.
It misted on us a bit and then genuinely rained, I got a bit pelted during the windy alpinesque last half mile to the summit, but it was perfectly tolerable and there is something peaceful and beautiful about hiking inside a cloud, even if it is a slightly stormy - it was relatively mild, the gorge can get quite rough sometimes and this was a gentle raincloud. Zero view but I still loved it. In fact it was so foggy that it was a bit creepy in places, because the drop off vanished and looked like one could just fall into nothingness forever, if a wrong step were taken.
...
( tangent about perimenopause symptoms and end of life thoughts )
Tyler made it to the summit of Dog a few minutes after I did. We shared some snacks and I forced him to take a couple selfies with me, "pix or it didn't happen." A pleasant walk down and drive home together, cozy and content and sharing pumpkin pie and spiced kombucha.
I found more c. odora on the way down, so happy.
When we got home, I gave Tyler more pie and some steak and warm cacao brew and he played piano for me for about an hour. I stretched out on the couch and messaged back and forth with Finley and Timo and got comfy on my Halloween pillows and was so blissed out and content from the warm cozy feeling of my couch and my apartment and Tyler's piano playing (Josh has an electronic upright that's pretty high quality and sounds pretty nice) that I softly, quietly, privately wept. I grew up with piano, my mom played and taught piano when I was growing up, and there is an ease to Tyler's playing that reminds me of the comfort of home and childhood so much. His adept comfort with that instrument is exquisite and the beauty of the way he plays makes my heart soar.
I wish I could have learned to play like that. Or at all. Mom and I fought too much for me to be able to learn from her. And she couldn't afford to pay for lessons on top of the already-too-expensive ice skating lessons.
Grateful for the skating, of course, of course.
Maybe I can still learn, one day. I used to play a couple of Christmas songs this time of year, Away in a Manger and Skater's Waltz (not the whole thing) were my favorites, I had a handful and always wanted to learn the Peanuts one. Which Josh can play now. Josh has gotten so good over the last six or so years, but because he plays jazz instead of classical, it doesn't give me the warm fuzzies the way Tyler's playing does - Tyler has classical training and my ears can tell the difference immediately.
I think I am a little dehydrated. Will try to post some photos, drink some electrolyte water, and get ready for bed. Work tomorrow but I'm done at three, thankfully. This month is going to be rough so I gave myself some sorter days here and there, and I'm grateful.
Oops I was supposed to open more appts today - that will have to happen in the morning, which is fine. I don't really have any dates to open for folks right now anyway, everything is pretty much booked already.
